words and images about life in Grey Bruce

Between errands today I hiked a small and new (to me) stretch of the Bruce Trail just outside of Owen Sound. What a surprise – not as spectacular as Inglis Falls, but a wonderful mix of dolomite crevices, cedar and hardwood forest, and farmland – all packed into three kilometres!

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Four summers ago when my dog, Harry, was still with us I took him to a local vet to deal with some now forgotten malady. In passing the time of day while Harry was checked over we learned we were both gardeners. And like most gardeners, we were eager to compare notes, discuss successes and failures, and share discoveries. On the sharing end of things Harry’s vet provided me with a handful of what he described as Chesapeake Bay Fish Hot Peppers. Purchased the previous season from an on-line heritage seed company, Dr. S extolled their virtues, “lots of flavour, not too much heat, hugely prolific!”

Dr. S proved right on all counts. I’ve been growing these peppers from saved seed each year since and while they don’t for some reason like the soil at the farm, they do great in containers and fantastically in a friend’s garden in Hamilton.

While good used fresh or dried, Harry’s Fish Hot Peppers (gardeners have wide-ranging latitude to substitute names) are at their absolute best when pickled. Here’s a simple recipe that can be adapted to any small hot pepper.

Wash and dry 2 lbs of small hot peppers; slit each pepper length-wise with a sharp knife. Pack the peppers into clean mason jars.

Make a brine by combining 5 cups of white vinegar, 1 cup water, 4 teaspoons pickling salt and 2 teaspoons sugar. Bring the brine to just the boil in a large pot, stirring to ensure the sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour the brine into each jar of pickles leaving a 1/4 inch of head space. Affix the lids to the jars snugly but not over-tight.

Process in a water bath for ten minutes. Remove from bath and tighten lids fully when jars are cool. Wait at least a month before using so flavours can fully develop. Enjoy!

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A subtle irony this weekend. For the two summers I’ve been here I’ve been saying I must get a boat of some sort to get out on the Sauble River. I would never have imagined the first “voyage” would be on its frozen surface in March! Some pictures from today’s snowshoe…

with virtually no thaws this winter, the snow accumulation around the farm has been enormous

looking back to the farm from the centre of the river

passing snowmobiles earlier in the day cut an “upstream” path

late afternoon sun filters through the branches of a bank side ash

wind-shaped snow formations resemble summer sand

the bridge on the return trip; the river snow and ice is so high you have to duck your head as you walk underneath

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It’s Groundhog Day and in Bruce County, Wiarton Willie is the go-to rodent for spring weather predictions. Willie saw his shadow (meaning six more weeks of winter), but somehow this doesn’t depress me. As mentioned in my last post, the gloom that usually hounds me through the winter months is absent this year. I could just be getting used to the local conditions, but I think it’s a matter of beginning to embrace the season and enjoy it. And a big part of this has been taking up snowshoeing. Some pictures of a hike today at Walter’s Falls.

Do snowshoes actually buoy you up? As a novice, I was skeptical. But taking one off and stepping on the snow, I promptly sank to my knees – they work!

The trail here hugs the mid-slope of the river valley downstream of the Falls, winding through a mixed forest of birch, hemlock and cedar.

A few of these trees, like this hemlock that has succumbed to old age, are remnants of an old growth forest that evaded the logger’s axe into the mid 1900s.

Near the top of the slope looking across the valley…

Winter conditions and the “cumbersomeness” of snowshoes on a downhill course make for some tricky hiking. It will be good to return to the Inn, built on the site of Walter’s Mill, where a hot beverage awaits!

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Chill winter has definitely arrived in Bruce County. But unlike previous winters, it somehow brings cheer rather than gloom and apprehension. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been spared the worst of the freezing rain and power outages of our neighbours to the south. Or perhaps it’s because I’ve got a proper set of snow tires on the car this year. Or perhaps it’s simply that it’s Christmas with loved ones in the house, leftover turkey sandwiches in abundance, and some downtime to enjoy the farm and the beauty of the countryside at this time of year.

The Sauble River, just upstream from the farm. This photo was taken in nearly the exact spot as one that appeared in a post of four months ago. The current here is sufficient to keep the river open throughout most of the winter. Only during the most frigid spells does it freeze over completely.

A female Goldeneye takes off in a panic as I appear over the bridge railing to take her picture. Several of these ducks were sheltering here, likely glad of the calm, open water – a place to access food on the riverbed, and escape the wind and waves of Lake Huron.

High bush cranberries still encased in ice after last week’s freezing rain storm. As mentioned above, this storm swept through much of eastern Canada earlier in the week. Hundreds of thousands of homes were left without electricity and many still have no power today. Somehow, we were mostly spared in Bruce this time, although power outages due to both winter blizzards and summer thunderstorms are common.

“Grey Road 5” looking east towards Owen Sound. These are typical road conditions from December to the end of March. Looking at it now, it’s hard to believe that in summer I commute to work along this route on my bicycle!

The farm down the road from me where I usually buy eggs. The hormones that govern a hen’s egg-laying machinery are highly attuned to light conditions. As a result, egg production drops off drastically during the short days of winter unless the natural daylight is augmented with artificial. My neighbours however forgo the extra light to give the girls a rest during the winter. This sign replaces the usual “eggs for sale”.

By the way, you might be wondering why I’m buying eggs and not eating ones produced by my own hens. The truth is they still managed this year to hide them from me and I simply gave up. In fact as a result, next year’s flock are going to be free-ranged meat birds rather than layers. Happy new year!

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When I was a kid, we had a hawthorn in our backyard that was large enough to qualify for tree status. Though coarse and infinitely prickly, it provided shade for our play, and food and shelter for a variety of birds (my first Great Horned Owl was observed among the branches of that tree).

I was reminded of this tree last week as I watched a flock of migrating robins feed on the brilliant red fruit of the hawthorns in the hedgerow between my farm and the neighbour’s. Last year, this source of food was absent; a March heat wave followed by a severe frost destroyed the blossoms on most local fruit bearing trees and shrubs. Watching the birds noisily gorge themselves, I wondered if the haws (as the fruits are called) might be made into preserves. In many ways, they resemble crabapples in terms of tartness and texture, a marginal fruit that makes excellent jam and jelly. A quick online search revealed that yes, hawthorn jelly is a not uncommon homemade edible, especially in the UK where hedgerow fruits are revered for both their taste and their heritage. I decided to give it a try…

Three pounds of haws picked from one tree with, remarkably, no impalement of hands or fingers…

The same three pounds stemmed (a tedious task), washed and placed in a large pot…

After simmering for an hour with an added cup of water, placed in a jelly bag to drip overnight…

The next morning, a decision had to be made. None of the recipes I found agreed on the proportion of sugar needed or whether commercial pectin should be added to augment the natural content in the haws. In the end, I went on instinct and did a mash-up of a couple of them: equal proportions of juice to sugar, no commercial pectin, but the addition of 1TBS of lemon juice to boost the natural content. After ten minutes of vigorous boiling, the set test was positive. Note: please don’t rely on these directions – pectin content in the haws can vary with hawthorn species, climate and time of picking!